Day's end....

 Another sunset...I know.  But no two are ever the same.  I never tire of them.  Right now, my favorite place to watch the sun go down is blocked by corn that is about 10 ft. tall.  That is not much of an exaggeration either. 

Spring peepers

 I only wish I had recorded the sound...this was about two weeks ago.

And the road goes on and on...

 I photograph this view several times a year...any time it is late evening and the sky it interesting.

 

While here, might as well show a view or two of the milo that grows out there.

What more could you ask for...

Just love going through old shots and coming across things like this.    Click to expand the view...notice the geese?

Evening glow...

Just a couple of the sun set from the strip pit area.  Looking into Illinois.

Summer evening version of On and on and on...

This is was taken two or three evenings ago...it is the summer version of On and on and on...to my eye it is not  as appealing.  It is not bad...and I would probably like it better if it were right before or right after a storm.

And this is the version looking the other way, which is south.   This off to the side was the most effective way to take the shot.   The first pair of poles is quite a bit farther away than the pair looking north.

Not a partridge in a pear tree....

But it is a Northern Bobwhite in a tree.  It is my first time seeing one in a tree.  This was out at the strip pit area.  They were calling everywhere we went, but this was the only one we actually saw.  He was at the edge of the road headed into the grass.  I could not believe my luck when it flew up into the tree.

Such handsome fellows!

This guy was with his lady love, but unfortunately I could not capture her.  And even if I could she was out in the plowed field and blended right in.

Another handsome bird. 

This makes three or four times I have driven through and seen some.  For several years we hardly ever drove through the strip pit area without at least seeing  one or two.  But the past 2 or 3 years, they have been few and far between.

Better than going to the movies....

Driving through the strip pit area late in the evening is better than almost any form of entertainment.

It is funny how quickly they change... 

I had to show two versions of this one...

I almost always convert cloud pictures to B&W just to see what they look like.  And truthfully, probably prefer them that way.

Okay this set is my last for the night...

It's another strip pit sunset...

I am seldom out at the strip pits at sunset these days, but used to we were out there quite often.  It was always like watching a great big slide show.  Moment by moment the scenes unfolded.

Wide open spaces...

A view from the strip pit area...from  2011.

This Great Blue Heron was taken from the road above.  On a different day.

2009 photos...

I ran into more photos of the Short-eared owls and cannot resist posting two or three more.

This one is cropped...and so is the one below.

I have been out at the strip pit area a few times this fall late of the evening and have not seen a single one.  And have only seen one Northern Harrier.    A few years ago, there were so many of both you would not believe it if I told you.

But I have seen several deer....this is an old photo, too.  But have seen this many a time or two this fall.

And a late evening view from out there.

From the strip pits...

We drove through the strip pit area late this evening...

These were from the car...just zoomed in.  They were across a ditch and a fence.  Even if not for the fencing, I was in flip flops and would not have attempted the ditch.

They were at least 15 ft away....

just love to see them...

and this is my favorite although it is a result of me not being able to hold still...

Pile of turtles

Perched...do you use that term with turtles sitting on logs...or do you just call it sitting?  The above has two turtles.  It is hard to tell  but the one behind is a turtle.

This is a pile of turtles...but I am not sure how many.

Again from the strip pit area.  These were in the first strip pit we pass on the regular way we go in.

Kodak --The strip pit area is an area where strip mining was done for years.  Strip mining is surface mining...sometimes it left shallow areas and sometimes deep pits.  They fill with water.  This place is changing.  But for years we have enjoyed a variety of wild life:  Ring-necked pheasants, Short-eared owls, Canada Geese, White Fronted Geese, a few Sandhill Cranes,  Northern Harriers, Swans, Snow Geese.  Other than the Sandhill Cranes, the ones previousl mentioned have been in abundance.  And I am forgetting so much.  We see different types of hawks, different types of water birds such as Northern Shoveler, Coots, Great Blue Heron...I even saw a Sora.   Oh, and we saw one Osprey...we sea Bald Eagles fairly regularly.  I am not sure how big you would call the area...

You would be better off clicking my label of Strip Pits to get a good idea...also my other blog has a lot of posts with things from the strip pits....

More wings....

These two doves were lit in the road ahead of us while driving through the strip pits last night.

The hawk below is just two views of the same hawk...

I have tried to improve them, and I guess they are improved when compared to the straight out of the camera shot.  Both are cropped photos.

This hawk was from a different day, a bit farther west than the strip pits.

Wings and things....

Roger and I drove through the strip pits...

about the only things moving were dragonflies.

Smile!

They were very cooperative tonight but I sure had trouble holding steady, plus getting my little P&S camera to focus on them and not something else.

We also saw a few monarchs here and there, but this was the only lucky shot I got...

Also saw this:

We did see a hawk....but did not get a good look at it.  It was flying just about a yard above the ground....which made me wonder if it was a Northern Harrier.

I could not resist a pic of Bird's Foot Trefoil....I think it is one of the pretties little flowers.

Scenes from the late afternoon/early evening

I dare not mention going to Paris, Illinois on a Sunday afternoon...every time I do, a storm comes up.  Today was no exception, except it wasn't one to stop us going.  The car got a great wash as we  drove over there.  And on the way home I snagged a few pics of the sky.

The very first photo is looking northwest, and the second photo is looking northeast...they are taken from the same spot within seconds of each other.

I just had to take time to drive through the end of the strip pit area...the view above is looking east and the one below looks west.

I always find the sky fun to watch.  It is fun to see how quickly it can change.

Strip pit sunset

These were taken October 26, 2017.